Gordon Gekko, Clubber Lang, Ed Rooney: Name the top villains of the '80s

Gordon Gekko, defying all odds, is about return. In Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Gekko will set out to prove that not only is greed good, but sometimes a movie sequel can be good too. Whether that remains true or not, we have to wait to Sept. 24 to discover.

(Unrelated '80s point: Best sequel of any decade? Maybe Ethan Hawke in Before Sunset, answering most of the questions of Before Sunrise? Discuss.)

Back to the business at hand. The '80s were a villainous decade, and I'm not just talking about the movie screen. So for the purposes of this list, we actually get to include real-life villains along with the movie versions. Try to keep it clean politics-wise. Yes, Ronald Reagan would be on my personal list of villains, but not on everyone's. So we're looking for villains we can ALL generally agree on. Play nice.

I'll compile a ranking of the villains just in time for the premiere of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Does that mean Gordon Gekko gets an unfair advantage? We'll see. Leave your suggestions below.

Here are a half dozen fictional ones that would be on my personal list:

STEFF Movie:Pretty in Pink (1986)Actor:James SpaderAlso a villain in:Less Than Zero, Mannequin, Baby Boom.Signature line: "The girl was, is and will always be nada."Biggest crime: Trying to sabotage Blane's relationship with Andie; spitting blood in the school hallway.

ED ROONEY Movie:Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Actor: Jeffrey JonesAlso a villain in:Who's Harry Crumb? Signature line: "So THAT's how it is in their family."Biggest crime: Breaking into the Bueller household; feeding Ferris' flowers to the family dog.

RICHARD VERNON Movie:The Breakfast Club (1985) Actor:Paul GleasonAlso a villain in:Trading Places, Johnny Be Good. Signature line: "You think he's funny? You think this is cute? You think he's "bitchin," is that it? Let me tell you something. Look at him - he's a bum. You want to see something funny? You go visit John Bender in five years. You'll see how goddamned funny he is."Biggest crime: Sentencing Bender to endless detentions.

SGT. BARNESMovie: Platoon (1986)Actor: Tom BerengerAlso a villain in: Born on the Fourth of JulySignature line: "Shut up! Shut up and take the pain! Take the pain!"Biggest crime: Trying to kill Sgt. Elias.

About this blog

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times correspondent Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to big hair.